


Black Fog and Scales

by Girlwithgoggles



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Middle Earth Setting, Blood and Gore, Dragons, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers, Fog, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Rain, References to Depression, Stabbing, Sword Fighting, dragon tyler joseph
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-09-08 22:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8866042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girlwithgoggles/pseuds/Girlwithgoggles
Summary: Josh Dun, the legendary dragon slayer, is led to the small town of Greetun by the terrorized cries of 'Dragon!' However, when he reached the village, he doesn't find any smouldering piles of burned down houses, no crying mothers willing to pay anything to get their stolen children back; no destruction at all, as far as Josh could see. What he does find however, is a man with dark brown hair, deep brown eyes, and jet black scales.  (I mixed Maleficent, Swan Princess, How to Train Your Dragon, The Hobbit, and just a pinch of Howls Moving Castle together and came up with this mess. Enjoy!)





	1. A Dark Shadow

We want it dead, bring us the head.  

That's what they said when they payed Josh.

He'd come through this small town on the edge of the woods because he'd heard it was being terrorized by a dragon and, well, he was by definition a dragon slayer. But when he'd gotten into the centre of the city it all seemed to be in order.

No smouldering piles of burned down houses, no crying mothers willing to pay anything to get their stolen children back; no destruction at all, as far as Josh could see. Although, that wasn't very far, considering the thick, black fog that enveloped the entire town. 

It felt heavy and gloomy and it trailed around your skin like water. It wasn't smoke; it didn't choke you or burn your eyes, it was just... gloomy. 

As soon as Josh had made his presence known to the mayor, he'd been handed a rather large bag of gold coins and told to dispose of the horrid creature as quickly as possible. Josh had headed out right away after that. Even though the people of the town were being intimidated by this dragon, they seemed to be even more unwelcoming and rude to strangers than he'd ever seen before. 

Now, as Josh stood on the cliff below the mouth of a cave, black fog hanging thick around him, he couldn't help but wonder to himself. What kind of dragon was this, and what it must have done to warrant such hatred from the towns people? Surly it wasn't just the fog that had given the beast such a terrible reputation. That was livable at least, and it didn't seem like anyone else had tried to stop it before. Josh now wished he had actually spent another night or two in the town, just to gather information. 

He fidgeted with his chain-mail and hefted his bag over his shoulder more securely. He could hardly see at all; it was almost night fall and the fog wasn't helping either. He finally decided to play it safe and set up camp for the night. Dragons were most active at night and Josh liked to go after them in day light when they were tired and slow. Some knights chose to attack at night because they felt it held more honour; Josh just liked to stay alive. 

He rolled out his sleeping mat and lay down, pushing his bag under his head to act as a pillow, and holding his sword at his side. He slowly started to think of all the dragon types he knew to calm his nerves. He was never this nervous before an attack. Sure, he was always scared of getting killed, but at this very moment, he was more scared of not knowing what type of dragon this was than anything. 

Snap Nose: short snout, acidic breath- cross that off the list, his flesh was still on his bones. 

Tilly Wig: long snout, nature properties- not that either...

Perhaps it's a new breed? Something undiscovered before now? Was Josh about to find a new species of dragon... And kill it..? His stomach flipped in discomfort. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky, at the stars that shone bright enough to be seen through the fog. He told himself that he should probably get some sleep, but his brain wouldn’t be silenced. 

Eventually, after hours of staring into the black heavens, Josh’s eyes started to droop and he pulled his cloak more securely over himself. Just as sleep was about to take him, something large flew overhead on vast wings. Josh sat bolt upright and stared as the beast’s tail disappeared into the mouth of the cave above. It actually looked smaller than most dragons Josh had seen, but no less imposing. He knew he wouldn’t be getting anymore sleep that night, so he pushed himself up against the side of the cliff and stared out at the night, reorganized his bag and sharpened his sword.

 

At day break, a low noise broke Josh out of his half conscious slump and he immediately jumped up off the ground and drew his sword. The noise was like a wolf’s howl; loud and long and heartbreaking, and somehow almost... Human? 

The noise carried on a couple more times, but with each long note, it became more distant, like the creature was moving away. Josh knew it was the dragon. What else could make that noise? And besides, it was coming from right above him, in the large cave. The howl became more melodic as it moved away, like a human voice, singing a long note. It was really quite beautiful, but Josh didn't drop his sword. 

More fog crept over the edge of the cliff face and Josh made a quick decision. Sliding the sword back into its scabbard, Josh quickly climbed the last few feet of cliff and finally stood directly in front of the dragon’s cave. The note from before started to shift, and soon it sounded like the voice of a man, singing. 

‘Someone's been taken.’ was Josh's first thought, and he drew his sword again. The dragon must be keeping him as entertainment. Josh's blood boiled, and he crept carefully towards the noise. It was dark in the cave but Josh could just see a light flickering around a bend. The man’s voice slowly tapered off and then there was coughing and spluttering. Josh ran around the bend, sword raised, a battle cry stuck in his throat, but he didn't see the dragon.

What he did see was a half-clothed man, hunched over, coughing up what appeared to be black smog. When Josh had run forward, the man reeled back and away, moving towards the wall and looking frantic. 

"It's okay! You're alright, I'll get you out of here and then finish the beast off myself," despite Josh's gentle yet demanding words, the man seemed to be trying to escape farther into the cave, head tilted down.

Josh stepped forward to try and see him a bit better, “Please, I'm only trying to help.”

In a small croak of a voice, the man responded, “Could you please leave..."     

That's when Josh actually stopped and gave this man a good look. He wasn't very tall, maybe a couple inches taller than himself, and he was thinner too; less muscle. He looked like he hadn't eaten properly in weeks. Josh's worry peaked again before he noticed the man’s hands... And neck. And feet, for that matter. They were all caked in what appeared to be black ash, and on the end of each finger, a longish black talon curved from where a normal fingernail should be. The man was only wearing a pair of very old and well worn brown pants, and a black robe. Despite the dark fabric, Josh could still make out the mans flesh through it. It was covered in burns in strange patterns, and on one arm there were three black rings of varying thicknesses up and down its length. Josh's eyes moved from the man’s shoulders to his hips in quick succession, where he could see black scales just cropping over the edges of his body.

All around the man’s body the black fog hovered and swirled, drifting out of the man’s mouth which was ajar with two sets of pointed teeth.

Josh drew his sword. He'd found a new species alright… But what was it?


	2. Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which - our colourful haired hero meets his new clawed companion.

"What are you," Josh stammered as he held his sword in a death grip. The creature finally stood to its full height and Josh felt a slight shiver run though his body. The creature’s eyes were slits.

"I haven't hurt anyone, please– I mean no harm," the creature seemed to have gotten all of that black smoke out of its lungs, because now its voice was quiet and gentle. It had a soft and smooth quality to it, it even sounded a bit nervous. Its eyes flicked to Josh’s sword, then back to Josh. Josh felt at ease listening to the creature speak. It seemed to be surrendering, its arms raised a bit in a sign of defeat. But that only showed off its long black nails, and Josh's blood hammered though his veins again.

"I'm not falling for your enchantment spell, you- you- siren!" Josh thrust his sword forward a bit more, maybe to show the creature he would hurt it, or maybe to make sure it stayed away from him.

"I've never seen a siren quite like you before, but your singing is so enthralling, what else could you be..? What exactly are you?" Josh stepped forward a bit and the creature lowered its arms, playing with its fingernails and looking nervous. 

But instead of a scared grimace, the creature smiled slightly. It wasn't an evil smile, just a small upturning of the lips, “You like my singing?" 

For yet another moment, Josh was wrapped up and soothed by the gentle voice and the small smile.

"No, enough! Stop your games. What are you? How are you making this smoke?”

“The smoke?” The creature seemed to almost not understand what he meant at first, but then he sighed, “Its meant to make everyone near it loose all meaning in life. Loose hope.” 

“Well it hasn’t done anything to me!”

“Yes, It’s impressive you’ve not been touched by it,” the creature seemed to study Josh.

Josh glared back.

“What are you,” he demanded again.

“My name is Tyler, and I'm a man! Well... I used to be…” The creature, Tyler, glared at the smoky black fog around himself. He swatted an idle hand through it, making it dance and stir.

"What do you mean, used to be? What happened?" Josh watched the fog twist and lowered his sword somewhat so Tyler wasn’t standing against the wall of the cave.

Tyler sighed and stared down at his hands. 

“Once, when I was a child, I was playing with my ball in the garden. I kept throwing it through the space between these two knotted trees. One throw went too far, and it smashed the window of the old woman that lived beside us. She came out shouting and cursing and-“ Tyler broke off, looking Josh’s face over for a second, “Anyways… Turns out she was a witch, and she cursed me so that my life and the lives of people around me would be full of darkness forever.”

Tyler’s voice ended on a croak and Josh dropped his sword all together.

“That’s terrible,” Josh walked forward carefully, extending a hand towards him.

Josh suddenly found himself on his back, with the heavy weight of Tyler sitting on top of him, long black claws out and angled into his throat.

Josh spluttered, “You tricked me!”

“No, I didn’t, I was telling the absolute truth… Trust me, I wish I wasn’t,” and suddenly Tyler looked sadder then he had before, “but you’re here to kill me…” 

Tyler’s nails slowly pressed against Josh’s neck, “So this can either end with you leaving or…”

Tyler’s nails pressed closer to Josh’s neck and he sucked in air, “Wait, wait, wait- I can help you!”

“Help me? Help me how?” Tyler’s head cocked to the side like a bird’s might.

“I’ll help you break the curse, whatever it takes! I’ll find the witch and make her take it back, or or-“ Josh was scrounging now, trying to come up with more things to say. He closed his eyes.

“Really?” Josh opened his eyes quickly to see Tyler’s sceptical yet hopeful face staring straight back. His pupils had grown wide, like cats do when they see something they want, and all Josh could do was nod.

“Yes, yes really! I know my way around all the lands, I’m sure I can find you a cure. Please get off me.”

Quick as a flash, Tyler was up and off Josh. He ran across the small cave and started digging through an old brown trunk Josh hadn’t noticed before. Josh stood and picked up his dropped bag, swinging it over his shoulder as he did. He sheathed his sword and looked up as Tyler came running back over.

He was carrying a dark leather sack that was as well worn as everything else he seemed to posses. Rolled up and attached to the back of the sack was a sleeping mat of some sort of animal skin. The bag itself was probably filled with whatever few possessions Tyler owned. He didn’t horde like dragons usually do, in fact, looking around the cave, there was barely anything. 

“Tyler,” Josh looked back to Tyler after his eyes finished sweeping the cave, “How long have you lived here?”

Tyler stopped fiddling with the sack and swung it onto his shoulder, “A long time.” 

His face grew dark and he walked past Josh, back down the path and out to the mouth of the cave. Josh ran to catch up. 

“Hey, I’m sorry,” When he caught up to Tyler he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Almost immediately Josh’s hand was slapped away by something, and when he looked down, he realized it was a tail, swishing back and forth through the fog. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to touch it or cut it off. He almost laughed. 

“Lets just start moving, I don’t want to be here any longer,” then Tyler jumped right off the side of the cliff. Josh gasped, reaching after him, before stopping and watching in awe as Tyler slowed his own decent and started making lazy leaps down the rest of the cliff. Josh grumbled but slowly started climbing down after his new companion. 

When he finally reached the bottom, Tyler was waiting for him, lying in the grass and staring up at the early morning sky. 

“It’s kind of early... Don't dragons sleep during the day? We could rest in the forest for a while, and the head out when it's darker?” Josh waited beside Tyler for him to speak but he simply stared at the sunrise, pupils contracted into little black slits.

Eventually he spoke, ”No, I want to get farther away from this place. We can walk until dark then then sleep. I'll be fine.” He stood on his own and started walking towards the vast woodland that grew around the perimeter of the mountains and the town below it. Josh fell into step beside him. 

Most of the day trickled away as they walked in awkward silence, only broken by the occasional warning of were to step on the damp forest floor. Once the sun started to drift beyond the horizon, they came across an outcropping of rocks that would provide protection as a safe place to sleep. They both laid out their sleeping mats and got settled in. Just as Josh was pushing his bag more comfortably under his head, he felt a drop against his face. He wiped it away and rolled again to get comfortable. More drops hit his face and he groaned and rolled over; he was never going to sleep tonight. Suddenly there was a quiet voice from beside him and he looked over. Tyler was sitting up against a rock, head tilted to the side, and he was singing. It was faint, but it made Josh feel light and floaty. Before he had time to properly assess the situation and realize sleeping next to a half human cursed to be a dragon probably wasn’t a good idea, his eyes slid shut. As he slipped into unconsciousness, he heard the sounds of something moving, something big moving, before warmth surrounded him and he was dead to the world. 

\- - - 

Josh woke to the gentle patter of rain on the leaves. He opened his eyes slowly and looked through the black fog that surrounded where they slept. It was only drizzling now and Josh looked over to Tyler who was curled up into himself against one of the large rocks. Tyler was shivering slightly, his thin shawl and ratty pants were soaked in water from the rain the night before. As Josh sat up however, he realized something funny; he wasn’t wet at all. His tunic was slightly damp from the morning drizzle, but other than that, he seemed to be quite dry. 

Josh felt suspicious for a moment before letting it go. He was dry; that was a good thing. He rummaged through his bag until he found a spare tunic. It was made of darker fabric, and it had moth holes around the edges, but at least it was dry. He stood up and walked over to Tyler and nudged him carefully. He waited for the man to wake, not wanting to push him too hard and have him attack him again like he had the day prior. Josh put a hand to his throat; he could feel two small cuts where the nails had dug in. He shivered and sat back; what was he doing?

This thing was a monster, a dragon shapeshifter. He could have made up the whole tragic story just to lure Josh out somewhere and then eat him. And besides, he was also still a dragon, and Josh was supposed to kill him. They weren't even a days walk from the town that originally hired him. Josh's hand hovered over the dagger that he kept on him at all times. It was attached under his tunic for when he got himself into a sticky situation. He pulled it out and watched the new day’s sunlight gleam off the metal. Then he looked to the man sleeping in front of him. Tyler's face was slack in sleep and his mouth was slightly open, a small wisp of fog rolling over his lips and joining the larger patches around their camp site. He looked so peaceful in this state, and once Josh looked past the scales and sharp teeth, Tyler seemed pretty normal to him. He slid the knife away, suddenly disgusted with himself and shook Tyler hard to wake him up.

The dragon awoke with a start and looked around, trying to find the source of the disturbance. When his eyes landed on Josh, his pupils dilated and he sat up into a proper sitting position. 

"What's going on?" 

Josh threw him the new tunic and walked quickly back over to his own pack, “We'll be leaving soon. Get dressed." 

There was a moment of silence and Josh turned to see Tyler sitting there, looking at the old tunic as if it were made of gold. 

"Well? C'mon then, get a move on," Josh finished rolling his bed mat and storing it in his pack before standing and swinging it onto his back, "why are you so wet anyways? I'm almost bone dry." 

Tyler looked away quickly and stood up, "you must have had better tree cover..." He quickly walked away behind one of the rocks to change.

Josh glanced up at the trees, but they were in a clearing. There were hardly any branches above them. Josh glared at his feet trying to figure out what evil plot Tyler might be concocting by keeping him dry, but his brain couldn't come up with anything. 

Tyler came back around the rocks, tunic covering his shoulder and chest properly. If you were walking by in a hurry, you might mistake him for human. Until you looked at his eyes; they really were disconcerting. 

"We should head out now, it's at least a three day trip to my home." 

Josh huffed and followed after Tyler as he set out towards the forest path that would lead out into the mountains.

It was still overcast from the rains the night before, and the fog swirling in Tyler's wake was darker than usual. It created a sort of bubble of darkness around them. However annoying it was to not be able to see the ground properly, Josh didn't comment on it. 

They walked for about an hour in silence. Josh stared at Tyler's tail as they walked. It was almost always moving. One moment it was swinging around Tyler's ankles, the next, dragging along the path behind him. It finally wound itself around Tyler's waist and stayed. Josh huffed out a sigh as his entertainment stopped, and he looked around to see where they were. He could still see the forest behind them, but it was distant now, and the mountain pass was much more prominent on the horizon. Not to far down the path they were on, Josh could hear the sound of hooves kicking up mud on the small road. Josh looked up at Tyler to see his eyes wide with panic.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Josh walked around in front of Tyler to look at him properly. 

Tyler's eyes looked unfocused before he shook his head hard and scrubbed a scaled hand over his face, "more people are coming for me." 

"What do you mean?" Josh looked over his shoulder, just to check that the horses were still out of sight.

"How much money did the towns people give you?" 

Josh straightened and cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Um-"

"It's okay, I don't mind. Many people have come for me before, but I scared them all away. But they keep adding more money to the pot. They must think you're dead. More hunters are coming." Tyler was shaking now, looking down the path, as if death itself was riding towards them. 

"Oh Lord," Josh quickly dove into his bag and rummaged through it, “Does anyone else know you're human?" 

"No!" Tyler was fidgeting and jumping now, looking back and forth between the road and Josh.

"That takes care of one of us," Josh finally found what he was looking for and pulled out his black cap. He pulled it over his head and made sure to tuck in the fiery red hair that had somewhat become his brand. He shoved his sleep blanket into Tyler's hands and pulled his cloak out from his bag. 

“Wrap that around yourself, just cover your head, your eyes are..." Josh trailed off as Tyler's pupils dilated. 

They were brought back to their surroundings when horse’s whinnies broke the semi-awkward quiet they had created. Josh flipped up his hood, his breathing steadying out as his hand rested on the hilt of his sword. He was vaguely aware of Tyler diving behind him in a flurry of blankets.  

"Whoa there!" The man on the first horse pulled harshly on the reins and the horse came to a unsteady stop followed by three other men. Josh hunched his shoulders further. 

"You there, peasant! Have you just come from Greetun?"

"I have," Josh replied coolly, making sure not to raise his head so as not to show any of his face. He wasn’t sure if the old wanted posters were still out there, but he wasn’t risking getting recognized. 

"And did you hear the news of Dun the Slayer?"

Josh looked over the men's faces quickly. They looked arrogant; smirks permanently on their thick faces, one hand on the large swords at their sides. Josh wanted to scoff; he'd become a legend in the Dragon Slaying community, and all he had was his old long sword. 

"I did hear that the man was in the town, but we left a day ago.” 

At the suspicious looks the men gave Josh, he quickly added, “My friend here walks slowly." 

"And what is wrong with your friend?" Josh's gaze quickly glanced up to the man, but he didn't look angry or suspicious, he looked more disgusted. 

Josh turned slightly to see what the men were looking at, and saw that Tyler had started to panic a bit. He had the blanket tightly rapped around his shoulders and head and he was trying to hide behind Josh as best he could. He kept stepping from side to side to follow after Josh. After looking closer, Josh could see that Tyler's tail was moving too, the lump under the blankets was twisting and thrashing. His eyes were shut tight. 

Josh took a step away from Tyler. Was Tyler transforming? Was he going to kill these men? Josh felt his control over the situation slipping. His palms were clammy on the hilt of his sword and he felt his breath coming out shakier. Yet again, Josh was reminded of the fact that he was traveling with a half human, half fire breathing dragon; or in this case, fog breathing. This was idiotic; Josh was an idiot. How could he trust this guy, let along travel three days with him?

Josh turned back around and floundered for a moment, “Uhh, he's scared of the... horses, sir. I apologize, but we should be getting on our way." 

After one more look of distaste from the horsemen, they kicked into the sides of their horses and continued down the road towards Greetun. 

Josh waited for the horse’s thundering footsteps to fade before turning back to Tyler, "what was that all about?!" 

Tyler smiled nervously after the horsemen, "I'm scared of horses?" 

"Bull. What was going on with you?"

Tyler tentatively pulled the blanket off from over his head and held it loosely in his arms. His tail unwound from under his tunic and he scratched sheepishly at his head. Eyes drawn to the spot, Josh noticed the nubs of horns beneath the fluffy hair.

He sighed, "I guess... I haven't been around people in years, and I'm just not really sure how to act. Do I smile? Do talk a lot or leave that to them? Am I allowed to bite things, or is that too weird..." Tyler nibbled on his nails as he spoke, then he gave a hollow laugh, “Plus.. they are trying to kill me." 

Josh looked Tyler over once more. He looked sad, small and nervous. Josh was a jerk; he was being too hard on Tyler. Then again, like always, that nagging feeling at the back of his head was still whispering words of betrayal. 

Josh turned. 

“Whatever, let's get moving. We should put as much distance between us and the town as possible." 

As Josh walked, he could hear the sound of Tyler's tail dragging on the ground behind him. Josh hunched his shoulders and pulled the cap lower over his head as fat raindrops began to fall. 

By sunset, they had walked another ten kilometres. As they reached the top of another hill, Josh spotted a broken down carriage car on the side of the road. 

"We’ll rest there for the night.” 

Tyler had been bothering Josh for the past two hours to stop, and Josh finally relented. They made their way to the wreckage. 

As soon as they walked up, Josh could see that this place was often used as a rest stop. The carriage was lying on its side, and the roof had been ripped out, creating cover for a small fire pit that was dug out of the grassy ground. Josh walked over and held his hand over the fire pit.

"It's cold, there hasn't been anyone here in a while," Josh threw down his bag under the carriage’s cover and set about lighting the pit.

Tyler wandered away behind the carriage and when he came back, he was holding a very dirty looking lute. He sat down against one of the broken walls and placed the blanket near the fire to dry. 

It was quiet for several seconds and Josh wondered if he had hurt the other man’s feelings. Suddenly, Tyler started plucking at the loot, and he began humming a melody. 

The song sounded sad, but it seemed to have a sort of hopeful undertone. It carried through the rain and the fire that had started up under Josh's ministrations. Josh threw a stray piece of wood into the fire, and his eyes locked onto Tyler as he listened. The firelight flickered over Tyler's scales. His eyes were closed and and every once in a while he would stop humming and open his mouth. The black fog would float lazily out, and then he would close his mouth again and continue on with the song. It was beautiful and mesmerizing and Josh could feel his eyelids drooping. As Tyler finished the last chord Josh sat up straighter and stared intently at Tyler. Tyler seemed to have become lost in the strings as he stared down at them. 

"What was that," Josh felt bad breaking Tyler's moment, but he wanted to know.

Tyler looked up, and his pupils drew into slits as the firelight hit them, "I wrote that song for my mother before... before all this." 

"It was beautiful." 

Josh couldn't quite tell, but it looked like Tyler was blushing. Josh idly swirled his hand through the fog as it floated over closer to him, it seemed to be trying to completely surround him, but it couldn't quite do it. 

"Josh.." Tyler was now looking at Josh like he was a puzzle he couldn't quite solve.

"Hmm?" Josh had settled into a corner of the carriage, back against a plush seat that had become dirty and smoky over time.

"My curse, it creates this... unpleasant fog. No one wishes to be around me, ever. Monsters can barely stand it, let alone humans,” his gaze flicked to the fog that was swirling around the fire, caught in the heat that was steadily rising off of it, “How can you stand to be around me?"

Josh's gaze was fixed on Tyler's sad expression, “Well..." 

Did he really want to share his private life with a dragon… a human… a human dragon? Josh's inner turmoil over whether or not he could actually trust Tyler was making his head hurt, so he decided to throw caution to the wind and explain, at least his theory. 

"My father is the clergyman of my home town. I practically lived in the church as a kid, and my father had me learn every hymn and protection spell out there. My father believes that there are no good creatures out there. No white witches, no light dragons, no helpful vampires." 

"I bet your father'd love me," Tyler joked.

"He'd probably try to exorcise you before he killed you." Josh watched Tyler's face fall and then his gaze flicked back to the fire, “Anyway, I've repeated so many anti-witching curses and protection hymns that I could probably blow a demon back into hell with a sneeze." 

"Whoa, so the curse must not effect you! That's sort of amazing, I've never met a person who's not, I dunno, crippled by depression as soon as they get close."

Josh smiled slightly and shrugged, "Lucky for me.." 

They sat in still silence, the only sound the crackling fire. Suddenly Tyler's tail started twitching and his irises dilated, focusing on the small twitches of his tail, a worried expression coming onto his face. 

"Something wrong?" Josh asked, sitting forward to look at Tyler's fidgeting. 

"Yes, yes, I'm fine... would you like to hear a song?" 

"A song? What, Tyler what's wrong?" Josh was starting to get nervous as he watched the man get increasingly more anxious and twitchy. 

Tyler jumped off the ground and cleared his throat, when he brought his hand away, it was covered in black ash. The fog seemed to be getting thicker. Josh reached for his sword, his breath getting quicker. 

As soon as Tyler opened his mouth however, Josh's hand went slack on the hilt. Tyler's voice was an instant tranquilizer, and Josh felt himself slipping into unconscious.

"W-what are you doing," Josh's mouth was growing heavy. He could hardly get the words out, he was so tired.

Through the soothing notes of Tyler's soft voice, Josh thought he heard a pained apology, but he couldn't be sure. His eye lids drooped, his hands fell to his sides, and once again, he found himself dead to the world. 

Before his brain took him to the land of sleep, Josh made a vow to himself. If he was survived the night, he'd take this creature down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOOOoooooOOoooOoo
> 
> Alright guys, this chapter is a bit longer than the first, and I'm not sure if the next one will be out in another week, but I'm aiming for that! 
> 
> Comments and Likes would be much appreciated!!


	3. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have a notes about this chapter I wanted to clear up, but I'll put them at the end so it doesn't spoil the chapter :)

Shapes. It was dark but Josh could see shapes. People maybe. There was a bigger shape and a smaller one. There was the faint sound of banging, like a metal bucket being hit repeatedly, but then it cut off abruptly. And then Josh could see clearer; a man stood over a small child, holding the bucket out of reach of the child’s grubby hands. The man was yelling down at the child. Josh felt his stomach twist and he tried to step forward, tried to protest, to protect, but he couldn’t move. Josh looked back, and with a sickening jolt realized that the same man was standing behind him, holding him back. Josh tried to yell; he thrashed his shoulders but the mans hands got stickier and stickier. In fact, they seemed to be melting down his arms, like molasses. When Josh looked, all he could see was red. So much red. It ran over his whole body, and then it was his body. He was slowly running away, all that red was filling up the dark space he was in, and as he watched the little boy started to sink. The man in front of him started hitting the bucket himself, taunting the small boy. Josh felt as if he were drowning. He couldn’t move, he could help, and the more he struggled, the more red flowed into the already full room. And then something dark appeared at the edge of the red. It seeped into the crimson and took it over, flowing through it and turning the blood colour into a smoky black. Soon, Josh found the ability to move. The red was leaving and he could move more freely again. Finally, as the last bit of red was snuffed out, the little boy was engulfed by the darkness and Josh was alone again. But he didn’t feel alone.

A bird’s call woke Josh out of his twisted dreamscape. As the fog over his brain started to clear, Josh's muscles tensed independently as if he was getting ready to run. It took a few minutes before last night’s events came back to him, and when Josh remembered the soothing voice of his dragon-like companion, his eyes hardened. He looked around quickly and took note of the empty carriage. His hands were shaking, and he looked down, but they were their normal dull pink; no red in sight. He shook them out repeatedly, until he could feel them again, and they had stopped shaking. He was fine, he was awake, he wouldn’t dwell on the child or the red or the darkness. He was alive.

He was still alive, and Tyler was no where to be seen. Josh grumbled unhappily as he got up. 

'So Tyler’s left me alive. But why?' 

Tyler's actions confounded Josh to no end, and made a small headache bloom in his temple as his eyes swept the path in front of him. Drawing his sword, which was still at his side, he carefully made his way around the overturned carriage in search of the other man. He saw all the luggage that had fallen off the carriage when it had been flipped. It was covered in dirt and mud, but this must have been where Tyler had found the lute.

"Tyler," Josh spoke slowly, not necessarily sure if he wanted to find him or not. He had made a promise to himself last night, and he didn't usually go back on his promises. It took Josh another moment to realize that there wasn’t any black fog left around the campsite. Tyler must of been gone for quite some time.

There was scuffling from in the bushes that lined the forest that grew at the edge of the fields beside the path. Josh turned automatically and squinted. It was now overcast. A large cloud had found its way over the sun, and Josh knew there would be more rain in the future. 

Suddenly, a shape broke from the tree line and came fast towards Josh. Josh planted his feet and tightened his grip on his sword, trying to make out a face. He finally saw Tyler's fluffy brown locks flying out behind him as he ran from something. Josh squinted at the look of terror on Tyler's face, and suddenly all his pent up rage toward the man shifted to whatever was making Tyler run in fear. 

Tyler dove behind Josh, freshly picked berries and some sort of root vegetables tumbling from his arms. For a moment, Josh was taken aback by the food. Had Tyler ventured out to gather breakfast? Then Josh focused back ahead at the tree line and watched as a wild turkey waddled out from the trees. Josh turned on Tyler with a glare, and all the rage came rushing back to him. The sentiment of the offering of breakfast was completely gone.

Tyler smiled awkwardly up at him, holding out a potato.

 

—  —  —  —  

 

Josh was tense the rest of the morning. He didn’t take the offered food, and he didn’t attempt to make conversation. His murderous inclination had settled down, but there were still hours left in the day. He was still suspicious and completely untrusting of his companion. 

He just couldn't understand what Tyler's end game was. Tyler hadn't killed Josh in the cave. When he had his claws pressed against his neck, he instead opted to take his offered help. He hadn't killed him on that first night in the woods either, and now that Josh knew it was Tyler's humming that put him to sleep, his motives became even more unclear. And again, last night, Tyler seemed to have just put him to sleep, with no ill will towards him. But why? 

All these questions and concerns rolled around in Josh's head as his hand found its way up onto his neck, rubbing over where the nails had made small cuts. They had scabbed over now, but he could still feel the press of the claws. Josh almost missed the small voice calling his name. Josh shook himself out of his thoughts and looked up.

Tyler had the lute, and was strumming it. He smiled awkwardly at Josh.

"How are you feeling Josh?" he said it in a singsong sort of way, like he was trying to lighten Josh’s obvious mood. But it only got on Josh's nerves more. If Josh were in Tyler’s position, he was sure the whole valley would be pitch black. The mental image reminded him of his dream and he shivered, pulling his rucksack more securely over his shoulder.

"No talking. No singing. We're at the mountains, let's just climb,” And indeed they were.   
With all the silent brooding Josh had been doing, he'd missed them coming across the mountain pass that looped back around from Greetun. The mountains cut directly through their path, and if they wanted to get to Tyler's town quickly, Tyler had said going through the mountains was the best route. Although, Josh wasn't really sure if he could trust Tyler's word anymore.

Oh, why hadn't he just killed him on the first night. 

The clouds hadn't cleared as they walked; if anything, they'd started to get darker, and with them, Josh's mood. Fat rain drops pelted down from the dark clouds, and as the silence between Josh and Tyler became heavier, Tyler's fog seemed to be getting darker. Josh tied his pack onto his middle with a spare length of rope and attached his sword onto the back of his pack. At his side it would be an inconvenience as he climbed.

Josh wondered how his life could get any worse. They had a few stories to climb of uneven rocky patches before there was a straight path someone had cut from the rock long ago. The cliff face was slippery and uneven, but Josh was fairly certain he could get up with little to no problems. His hand found a stone jutting out of the side of the cliff and he wedged his foot in above another one, hauling himself up and continuing on to find the next ledge. 

He could hear Tyler behind him, making small noises as he too looked for hand holds, and wondered why Tyler didn't just go ahead of him. He lived in a mountain for most of his life, and Josh had seen him jump down the side of the cliff when they had been leaving Tyler’s cave. Surly he could scale this cliff face in no time. In fact, if Tyler was a dragon, why couldn't he have just transformed and flown them both over the whole mountain to begin with? That thought gave Josh pause and he could feel the irritation bubbling up inside of him again, growing heavier every second Josh had to think of Tyler. For a moment, Josh wondered if Tyler's fog was finally working on him, but he brushed that thought aside, he didn't feel sad or depressed, only angry at Tyler, that was all. 

His momentary laps in concentration made him miss the foot hold that was just below his knee and with his heart in his throat, his foot plummeted. He let out an undignified squawk, and then his jaw slammed into a rock that jutted out from the cliff and his outcry was cut off with the painful impact. Josh’s hands were still clutching the side of the cliff, so his terrifying moment of potential broken limbs was averted. It was just a tiny slip up, that’s all. He was fine. Josh took a breath. 

“Josh!” Tyler didn’t seem to think he was that okay. 

As soon as Josh had yelped, Tyler had scurried up the side of the cliff faster than he had been going all afternoon. Josh felt something thick and strong wrap around his waist and he glanced down through the space his body made against the cliff to see Tyler’s tail had wrapped securely around his middle. He glared up at Tyler, who was now a bit above him, instead of below.

“I don’t need your help,” then a thought struck him, “and you don’t need to climb below me to, to protect me or whatever. I can climb just fine.” He let go with one hand to free himself of the scaly appendage. It quickly snapped away and Tyler scurried away up the cliff in quick bursts. 

Josh grumbled the whole way up, but he continued quickly, not wanting Tyler to double back. When he made it to the flattened out ridge on the side of the cliff, Josh let out a heavy breath and took a moment to simply steady himself. His arms and legs were shaking from the exertion, but he quickly tried to cover it up as Tyler jogged back over from where he had been scouting out the ridge. 

“We could take a break? Sleep here over night,” The smoke around Tyler grew thick, “That actually sounds like a pretty good idea, it looks like its going to start raining again soon and I think I saw a cave a little down the path that way..”

Josh got up quickly and brushed past Tyler, “No more sleeping, we can make it to the bottom of the cliff by night fall if he hurry our pace a little.” Josh rubbed his fingers hard to try and force the blood back into them; with the coming rain, and the higher altitude, it was becoming colder. Josh could feel his muscles trying to seize up from the chill, but he forced himself forward quicker. 

He could feel Tyler almost at his back as he walked. The paranoid feeling of being stalked rather than followed started creeping up on Josh and he stopped in his tracks, spinning around.

“Walk in front of me.”

“W-what? Why?” Tyler stuttered as he came to a stop beside Josh.

“Just do it. Now,” Josh hissed out between gritted teeth. He could feel a headache coming on, it pounded in his temples and he bit onto his cheek until he could taste the salty tang of blood. 

After a worried look in Josh’s direction, Tyler continued on down the narrow path as Josh had instructed. The fog grew thicker.

Josh’s head was almost splitting, his mind was everywhere at once, and on top of all that, he couldn’t see one foot in front of the other. The fog was so thick now, it almost felt like it was choking him. It surrounded him, followed him, clung to his arms as they swung at his sides. He threw an arm out to the face of the cliff beside where they were walking. A rain drop hit his head.

With a strangled scream, Josh ran forward, trying to escape the clinging fog, the thoughts swirling around in his head, the flashes of his dream making him feel as if he would break, tear down all the carefully placed walls around himself and just scream.

And then he did scream.

The next step he took didn’t land on a hard surface and his body leaned dangerously to the right, his hip hitting something hard. And then, just like that, he fell. 

As the wind rushed past him, Josh’s bad mood disappeared completely, replaced with a sort of weird calm. He saw the sun and the sky and could only think that at least he had escaped the fog finally. And then he felt a strange twist in his gut, and had the oddly comforting thought that Tyler would get home on his own, find the cure, and get rid of that fog once and for all. 

Josh closed his eyes.

Whiplash was not fun, and as soon as the arms encircled his middle Josh’s head snapped forward. He let out a loud yelp and flailed where he floated. He was floating, what was happening? He momentarily pondered that he was in heaven, but then he remembered himself and who he was, and he quickly discarded the idea. And then he begun rising up, past the jagged rocks, past the sun on the horizon, were he was placed gently onto the side of the cliff. He stumbled as he touched the ground and then looked up. There was a figure rising and falling in front of him in the air on huge black wings. They were spiked and leathery looking, like a bat’s. Finally, the shape swooped in and landed down in front of him, and Josh’s eyes seemed to clear and he gazed into the deep brown eyes of Tyler as he came up and into Josh’s personal space.

“Oh Gods Josh, are you okay? Is your hip okay? I heard a crack-“ Tyler’s hands were everywhere as they twisted and turned Josh’s face and body every which way to check for injuries. 

Josh blinked, he was obviously in shock, but he simply squinted at Tyler. 

“Tyler…” Josh breathed.

Tyler’s eyes jerked up, tracing over Josh’s face, “What?”

“Can I ask you something.”

“What? What is it?”

“Why do you keep putting me to sleep?” 

“W-what?” Tyler was completely taken aback and he laughed a bit in hysteria, “Josh you just fell of a cliff- I- I just flew to you on frickin’ wings and you- you’re asking me how sleeping works?”

Something in Tyler’s voice, maybe his deflection of the question, ticked Josh off. He felt his hands balling into fists, and before he could do anything, he landed a solid punch into Tyler’s jaw.

“Answer the damn question! Tyler, I want to trust you, with everything I have, but I can’t- I can’t…”

Evidently, the punch didn’t seem to affect Tyler much, because he simply rubbed his cheek where he’d been hit. But his eyes held more pain than anything physical pain could show. Black fog was everywhere, it surrounded them in a tent. 

“Well, I guess I already showed my wings,” Tyler dropped his hand and sighed, “At night I transform completely. I have no control. I hate my dragon form, and I didn’t want to scare you. My voice seems to have some sort of sedative property…”

“But why?” Josh still felt something bubbling under the surface. 

“Why what?” Tyler looked confused, and it infuriated Josh further.  

"If you're not gonna kill me, or eat me, then why bother? Why bother traveling with me!? You know the way, you have fucking wings!" Josh laughed hysterically as he gestured wildly to Tyler’s wings, which were absently trying to fan away some of the fog that continued to poor out from Tyler’s person.

Tyler's eyes widened and his pupils dilated, almost completely disappearing. He seemed completely taken aback and leaned in, reaching out a hand towards Josh, "I like traveling with you, Josh!" 

And suddenly it was like a flood gate, the dams in Josh's brain split open and everything came tumbling out.

“Why?! Why would you possibly like me? I kill things for a living! I murder beings as a job! I am known for two things in life Tyler,” he listed them off on his fingers, shoving them in Tyler’s face, “One, my fiery red hair, and two, the trail of blood that follows me! All that blood that-“ a flash of Josh’s dream, of all the red engulfing him, came back to him and he shook his head violently to clear it, “You don't need me, no one needs me! I’m more of a monster than you ever will be, Tyler. You want to know why your smoke doesn’t affect me? It’s because there is nothing to affect, I’m empty, I’m nothing. All I’m good for is killing.” 

It was silent. And then Tyler spoke, “Well... you may think that, but… everywhere I go, I bring darkness, depression... My life is a meaningless crawl of sadness. But you, you seem to bring happiness wherever I go... Josh, I’ve never felt safer. So I don't much see the problem. Believe it or not Josh, you’re the first friend I’ve had since I was thirteen, I love- I like having you around.”

Josh was stunned into silence. 

His whole life, people had used him: to kill, to cheat, to lie, to steal. Not once had anyone ever wanted him around for simply being... himself.

“Tyler,” Josh reached out a hand and rested it on Tyler’s shoulder. All the rage and anger ebbed out of his body and was instantly replaced with a shaky feeling. 

Josh stood for a moment; he could feel something in his chest expanding. All the red was overtaken by darkness. He grabbed hold of Tyler in a death grip and pulled him into a hug that was for reassurance; an apology and a statement of gratitude all in one. Firm, leathery appendages wrapped around Josh’s back, enclosing him in a sort of bubble of safety, before arms circled his shoulders. Josh shook, and he could feel Tyler shaking too, so he didn’t open his eyes. They stood their in a shaky hug for a few minutes, until Josh’s world stopped spinning and pitching.

Finally Josh let out a breath and pulled away. Unfortunately, that was quite hard to do, because of the large wings pressed against his back. He ended up with his arms awkwardly squished between Tyler’s chest, and their faces inches apart. Tyler’s pupils expanded and he smiled awkwardly, letting his wings unwrap from around Josh’s back, stepping back to put some space between them.

“You know the first night, when it rained and I didn’t get wet. Was that you?” Josh smiled slightly, watching as the fog around Tyler’s head started to float to the ground, dissipating as the rain drops fell through it.

Tyler blushed and looked anywhere but at Josh, as he began to beam, “You’re a cute sleeper, I didn’t want the rain to disturb you..” Tyler trailed off as he raised his wings. They arched over Tyler’s head and created a canopy over Josh’s head, blocking the rain from his already soaked body. 

Josh finally broke. His laughter was loud and he threw an arm over Tyler’s shoulder as he turned back to the cliff face in front of them, “You are one weird dragon, my friend.” 

Tyler’s tail came up and wrapped itself around Josh’s waist, making him laugh even harder, “Good, now I won’t fall again.”

Tyler burst out laughing and it was quite possibly the best sound Josh had ever heard. It wasn’t a full laugh, or a manly one at that. It came out in bursts and sounded a bit wheezy, but Josh wanted to hear that laugh for the rest of his life. 

—  —  —  — 

 

It took another half an hour of convincing until Josh got Tyler to simply fly them down the other side of the mountain. Josh couldn’t see the problem; Tyler had already carried him to save his life. Why waste time?

As soon as they landed on the ruff path on the other side of the mountain pass, there was a few loud cracks, Josh whipped around in time to see the leathery black appendages start to fold and bend. The long bones in the tops of the wings seemed to break in half and slide side by side through the now loose skin that made up the wing. Tyler’s face was contorted in concentration as his shoulders flexed and hunched, until finally, with an unsettling pop, the wings disappeared into his back. Two strong blasts of black smoke shot from Tyler’s nostrils and he stepped back unsteadily. 

“Woah, are you okay?” Josh stepped forward, putting an arm around Tyler’s shoulder to steady him.

Tyler smiled back at him and nodded, “It doesn’t hurt so much anymore. Shall we get going?”

Josh nodded and continued down the path beside Tyler, who’s tail swished back and forth behind him. Josh smiled at it.

They walked comfortably together now, Josh’s anger over Tyler’s secrecy was gone and he felt safe with the man. Tyler pulled out the lute from his bag and played a few songs to pass the time. They were childhood tales made into songs long ago by parents to be used as lullabies. One about The Slow Town, where the laws of gravity were broken and the residence had no need to wear shoes because they simply floated around everywhere. Another about an island where everything tried to kill you; a violent land where you had to fight to stay alive. Tyler made each new song a whole performance, jumping around and singing loud, almost screaming at some moments. Josh laughed and danced around with Tyler, keeping a drumming beat on his bag where he hung it around his front. 

 

Tyler was close to the end of a song about The Lane Boy, when Tyler’s tail started to twitch again.

“Josh…” Tyler called for the other man to stop, who came back from where he had been walking a few feet in front of him.

Josh saw the twitches instantly, “We can rest for the night. According to your directions our journey should be over by tomorrow, right?” 

Tyler nodded and they went to set up a temporary shelter for the night. They found themselves a small grouping of trees with good enough cover to protect them if it started to rain again, although Tyler had assured Josh he would cover him again if he had to. As Josh finally got the fire lit and his sleeping mat rolled out, he turned to Tyler, who was sat on his own mat, still twitching and fidgeting with his claws.

“Alright, we’re all set, you can change whenever you feel ready.”

Tyler smiled weakly and nodded, grabbing up the lute from his pack. He strummed out a melody and began to hum. The familiar pull of sleep weighed on Josh’s mind the second Tyler’s hum began and he rubbed furiously over his face as he sat up.

“Wait- wait! I’m okay, It’s okay. You won’t scare me, you don’t need to put me to sleep. Tyler, I’m not scared of you.”

Tyler huffed and looked away with a sad smile, “But, I am.” He began to hum again, and Josh’s eyelids drooped. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, at the beginning of this chapter, in the dream scene, it talks about a little kid being taunted by an older man. You may or may not have gotten that, but it was basically supposed to be Josh and his father, the bucket was him fooling around and drumming. I DISLIKE making the parent the bad guys in fics, and I reeeeaaallly try not to most of the time, but I just needed to get across where all that self doubt and hatred comes from. I'm really sorry if that upset anyone!!
> 
> I just wanted to clear that up. I know they're real people who are probably completely amazing and loving, but I just needed to come up with a form of authority figure to make Josh unhappy with himself. 
> 
> Other than that I hope you enjoyed the chapter!! I enjoyed making the songs sound like old legends :) 
> 
> Comments and Kudos make me very happy!!


	4. A Crow Caw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Possible Trigger Waning for this chapter bros: Blood/gore, fighting, brief description of self harm (But not really that bad???)

The next morning, Josh awoke feeling refreshed. His head was clear, and the ache that had started in his lower back had ebbed to almost nothing. He sat up, cracked his back and ran his hands through his unruly hair. He would have to find more dye berries if he was to keep the fiery red tint, although he felt that it might be time for something different. The sun overhead was a welcome change from the on-off rain they’d been having the past few days. A crow cawed somewhere in a distant tree.

Looking around, he noticed that Tyler was missing, but he didn't worry too much this time. Josh started pulling together all their supplies from the camp. Rechecking and packing them back into each of their bags filled time, and it was so familiar to Josh that he barely needed to pay attention. Josh felt calmer and safer then he had in a long time, and he wasn't worried that Tyler wasn't back yet. There was a feeling of familiarity about the action of packing up and Josh pondered what he’d do after he helped Tyler reach the village. He’d probably stay for a night or two, gather supplies, rest, and eat a proper meal. But then he’d have to move on; he had no proper home to go back to and the idea of settling down gave Josh a nervous, jumpy feeling. Josh paused in his thoughts, imagining Tyler going with him. He imagined the two of them traveling like they’d been over the past few days, adventuring and finding new creatures. Maybe Josh could start helping the creatures he came across, instead of killing them. He could already feel the blood on his hands washing away at the memory of Tyler’s soothing voice.

About half an hour later, Tyler walked back towards Josh through the field they had stopped by. The black tunic safely tucked under his arm, and black fog trailing behind him. Josh’s eyes flicked over the strange burn and cut marks that littered Tyler’s body. They all looked intentional, like Tyler had done them himself. Tattooing was usually done with ink, though, and Josh shivered at the brutal image of Tyler cutting his own skin. Tyler’s nervous smile fell a bit into an ashamed frown. 

"Hey Josh," he said quietly as he stepped up beside Josh. Josh noticed that Tyler was holding a small cloth full of what looked like fruits and root vegetables. Again, he had gone to get Josh breakfast. A very fond feeling flooded Josh’s heart and he pulled Tyler to his side. He grabbed the cloth and pulled a few wild berries from it, popping them into his mouth. He could tell Tyler was feeling bad about putting him to sleep again and Josh needed to fix that.

“Whenever you feel ready, it’s okay,” he let Tyler out of the side hug and went to grab his pack from off the ground, “Thanks for the grub.”

For a moment, Tyler stood in stunned silence. Then a small, shy smile broke over his face and he ran to grab his pack and join Josh on the trail. 

At most, they had half a day's journey ahead of them and they walked at a steady pace to reach the the trees Josh could see on the horizon. Once they reached the tree line, it would be maybe half an hour into town and they’d set out looking for the witch’s home.

The sun was high in the sky, their stomachs were full of berries, roots, and a small rabbit Josh had killed and roasted on the way down the path. Tyler was strumming his lute but wasn’t playing any particular song. He hummed slightly and let his eyelids droop until they were almost closed. Josh watched Tyler’s relaxed face and then his eyes trailed to Tyler’s tail. The appendage was swishing back and forth in an agitated manner, and Josh’s brow creased. 

“Hey Tyler, you alright?”

Tyler sighed. Black fog puffed out his mouth. Josh noted that it fell and collected around Tyler’s feet, instead of blowing away in the cool breeze that was coming in from over the mountains. 

“I- I just don’t know how this is going to work, and that makes me nervous. I want to be prepared, but this lady she… She did this,” Tyler gestured to himself and his tail wrapped itself around his waist tightly, “to a little kid that made a stupid mistake. Do you honestly think she’s going to turn me back for free?”

Josh nodded thoughtfully and looked out into the sky for a moment, “Oh!” He rummaged around in his pack for a few moments before coming up with the sack of coins from Greetun. “I have this! The pay they gave me to kill you! Technically the money is going towards killing you. Or, dragon you…”

Tyler smiled and laughed, playing a chord on his lute with a happy strum. Josh felt warm and he smiled back at Tyler as they continued forwards. 

“What do you think the cure is going to be?” Tyler asked a few moments later. His tail was now wagging back and forth and he had a bit of a hop in his step. He was obviously excited, and it made Josh excited. 

“Hmm, maybe you’ll have to fix her window?” Tyler rolled his eyes.

“Maybe it’ll be true loves kiss? There was this girl in my town… she was really pretty…” Tyler trailed off, “But she’s probably married now…” 

Josh scrambled for something as he watched Tyler’s tail dip and his steps slow, “Or maybe you’ll have to… Um, eat some sort of slimy yellow fruit. Yeah, from some far off land! And it grows in the shape of,” Josh trailed off trying to think of something ridiculous.

“A dick?” Tyler said it so innocently that Josh didn’t even understand what Tyler was talking about at first. Once it dawned on him what Tyler had said Josh burst out laughing. He pushed Tyler hard, but Tyler’s tail was ready for it as it wrapped itself around Josh’s waist, bringing him down with Tyler. They rolled and scrapped in the dirt for a few moments before sitting up and gasping for air.

“I swear to the Gods Tyler! What is wrong with you,” Josh tried to sound serious but he was laughing too hard to keep a straight face. 

“Listen, c-can you imagine-“ said Tyler, but then he stopped and looked around, “Josh.”

“What?” Josh was still laughing, but once he saw that Tyler had sobered, he did too. 

Josh looked around, following Tyler’s eyes which roved across the ground. At first he couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Then, with a small gasp of fresh air, Josh realized that the black fog that had been present ever since they’d met had evaporated completely. Josh’s shocked face morphed into a smile and he looked up at Tyler who was breathing out heavily, trying to see if it was just a fluke. But to their joy, no black wisps curled from Tyler’s mouth. 

“Tyler your fog,” was all Josh managed, before Tyler tackled him in a hug. They rolled a few times and then Tyler just lay there, on top of Josh, hugging him tight and laughing breathlessly into Josh’s neck. Josh’s could feel his face heating up and he would be surprised if Tyler couldn’t feel it radiating against his cheek. Josh smoothed a hand over Tyler’s back and felt the two bumps where Tyler’s wings would protrude. Josh breathed in. Suddenly Tyler jumped to his feet, awkwardly pulling Josh up with him because of the tail that was still wrapped around his middle. 

“Josh, this is a sign. We need to get to town right now, like, right now!” And with that, Tyler was off, running as fast as he could down the path towards the tree line. Josh let out a sharp breath and secured his pack onto his back more firmly, before setting off after Tyler. He smiled when he saw that Tyler’s tail was flapping out behind him, keeping him balanced as he hopped over rocks and holes in the road. Unfortunately for Josh, he didn’t have a tail, and found himself tripping and stumbling several times while he ran. 

“Tyler stop,” Josh panted and bent over to clutch at his knees until he regained his breath, “I can’t run like you, could you slow down for a second?” Josh puffed out an unsteady laugh and shook his head before letting out an undignified squawk as Tyler’s arms came up under his knees and back and lifted him into the air. Tyler grinned at him, and then set off running again. 

For the first few feet Josh wondered how in the world Tyler could carry his weight and run like he was, but soon he realized that the dragon curse must have come with the perk of super strength and endurance, because Tyler didn’t seem to slow. Josh blushed and pushed his face into Tyler’s neck to hide it from his view. Tyler laughed and jumped over a small branch in the road. 

“You okay,” Tyler was just showing off now and Josh didn’t respond, instead, he looked forward to where they were. They were right at the edge of the woods now and Josh could see a large tree in their path. Josh wiggled until Tyler got the hint and let him down. Josh looked hard at the large trunk for a few minutes until he signed.

“Looks like we’ll have to go around, or maybe climb over?” Tyler suggested. Josh nodded.

They made their way slowly into the shrubbery at the edge of the woods, trying to navigate through the thick underbrush. 

As soon as they had come up to the felled tree, Josh should have known something was wrong. The trees in this region were all ancient and strong, their trunks being at least six feet across. As they came up to the roots of the tree blocking their path, Tyler’s fog suddenly came back thick and dark.

“No!” Tyler shouted with frustration. 

“What’s wrong?” Josh turned to Tyler as he began to try and find a grip on the the large tree’s roots.

“Somethings very wrong, I think we should-“ but Josh never heard what Tyler thought they should do, because all of a sudden there were ten men on them.

They ran out from the forest screaming and brandishing blades. One man hurtled over the trees trunk and Josh quickly jumped back before the man's blade could catch his throat. 

“Come with us, beast,” one of the men -the leader, it looked like- yelled, “and maybe we will spare your friend.”

Tyler snarled and bared his teeth, hands out to show his claws, “Go now, and we might spare you.”

The man laughed a cold, incredulous laugh before nodding to one of his cronies. Before Josh could even draw his blade, a large man was on him, holding a blade to his throat with one hand, a firm grip on Josh’s arm with the other. Tyler’s pupils shrunk into slits, his hands shook with anger, but he had no choice but to stand there and fume as he watched the man hold his friend hostage. Josh sighed irritatedly. 

It wasn’t that he wasn’t aware of how bad the situation was – he was. There were ten men on their own two, all heavily armed and armoured. But the man holding him had his hand wrapped tightly around Josh’s forearm in the worst grip he could have chosen, giving Josh many options on how to break it. It would only require him lunging to his left and down, with a quick elbow to the chest. The man would be at least winded enough to lose focus, long enough for Josh to draw his blade. But then what? Tyler had many advantages over these men, but he couldn’t take on ten by himself. Even in his dragon form he might be overpowered. Josh was a testament to how a dragon could be brought down by one well placed blow from a single human. So Josh waited. He wanted to find out more, see if he could collect more information, perhaps find some weakness he could use to their advantage. So he dug into the part of his brain that thought well on the fly, and spoke to the leader.

The man was still stalking up to Tyler, and while Tyler seemed to be putting on quite the display of intimidation, the number of men around him seemed to be causing him to shut down a bit. His eyes snapped from man to man, quickly looking for an escape route or for who to attack first.

“If you’re after the reward, you’re welcome to it, I didn’t use any of the money. It’s in my bag– you can take it and we can all be on our way.” Josh spoke calmly. He felt the man behind him tighten his grip, but he could also feel how sweaty his palms were getting. 

The ring leader finally took his eyes off Tyler, turning to Josh. Two more men filled in the vacant spot he left in the circle around Tyler. 

“You think your small bag of coin is what Greetun’s council offered? Oh please, the reward they offered us is far bigger, plus, the game is much more fun to chase than a simple dragon would be… much more interesting,” His eyes roamed back over to Tyler who bared his teeth.

Josh panicked, “H-he’s not a dragon! He was cursed by a witch. We’re going to get her to change him back right now. Let us go now and you won’t have to kill anything.”

The man smiled, “I know.” 

Josh’s blood ran cold. These men knew; they had been told what they were looking for and they didn’t care. The town’s people had known– they must have. This wasn’t an act of protection, this was murder. Killing for sport. Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down for Josh. He saw the leader open his mouth, his crooked teeth gritted together in a disturbing grin. He watched as one of the other men got impatient, and an arrow was loosed from the crossbow in his hands. It flew past Tyler’s right arm, slicing a clean cut across the skin there. Blood splattered out the other side with the arrow before the man on the other side of the circle sidestepped out of the arrow's trajectory. Tyler’s yelp of pain knocked Josh out of his own head and then everything caught up to him. 

As the leader turned to reprimand his trigger-happy follower, Josh acted. He jerked his head to the left, yanking his arm back sharply, breaking the other man's hold on him and hitting him squarely in the stomach. The man’s sword fell back just long enough for Josh to slip out from behind it and he drew his own sword. The slash to the other man's side was clean and swift and he went down with a pained shout. Josh levelled his sword at the leader's head and stared him down. The man had drawn his own sword, but he stilled when he saw the look in Josh’s eyes. 

“Let us go now, or we will make you,” Josh knew what this arrogant man’s answer would be before he even opened his mouth and he had accepted that. Josh breathed in.

“Boys,” the man cocked his head with a smirk on his lips, “kill them.”

Josh dove to his right, into the middle of the circle of men around Tyler. He rolled out of the way of another man’s sword and came up on his knees beside Tyler. 

“Tyler, are you okay?” The question was rushed out quietly. Not wanting the men to have an opening to dive in, he slashed out at one of the crossbowmen. The crossbow dropped and Josh tried to reach for it, to get something for Tyler to fight with, but he was distracted when another hit came from his other side.

“I’m fine Josh,” Tyler gritted back. His arm was dripping sluggishly but his claws were out and he was circling around Josh’s other side, keeping the men backed away. Josh finally stood up properly and they stood back to back. 

“We have to break this circle,” Josh whispered. He felt Tyler nod, and then they lunged forward. 

Josh stabbed his blade into another man's side before twisting the blade, pulling out, and spinning to block a blow coming directly for his head. The other man pulled back and took a lunging slash for Josh’s abdomen which hit and put a long gash along Josh’s hip. Unfortunately for the man, the move was fatal, as it left his whole front open for an attack.  
Josh slashed his blade across the other man's throat in a solid line before stepping back and rolling out of the way of an arrow that came shooting for his face. He grasped the cut in his side and let out a pained hiss. His hand was covered in blood and the roll hadn’t helped the cut: it was deep. Not fatal, but deep. He raised his blade again to block whatever attack the bowmen served next, but watched as the man’s body dropped limply to the side. Behind him, Tyler stood, hands covered in blood, one claw on his left hand was missing and his teeth were bared. There was blood dripping from his mouth. He looked utterly feral. 

Josh glanced behind Tyler to see another body on the ground, throat ripped out. Tyler’s eyes were red, blood red; the black of his pupils almost swallowed by it. Josh’s stomach turned. He suddenly felt fury like he’d never felt before. How dare these men do this to Tyler. How dare they make him do such unspeakable things. Tyler was nothing like what they were making him out to be, but now they’d forced his hand, and Josh’s hands were twitching. A day ago he’d heard Tyler sing carefree songs from his childhood, watched him dance down the path, strumming his lute with the heart of someone who felt the song in his soul. Today he watched the blood on Tyler’s hands drip onto the dirt path. 

Josh screamed. The cut in his side shot hot flames of pain up his torso and he screamed harder. He lunged to his feet, sword raised in a charge as he ran at the ring leader who was standing directly behind Tyler, his own sword raised, ready to cut through Tyler’s throat. Josh barrelled into the man so hard his sword went flying, but he knocked the man away from Tyler and that’s all that mattered. 

He grappled with the man’s hand that still held his own sword. He heard Tyler yell his name, coming to help, but then heard it cut off with a snarl as he was distracted with another assailant. The man below Josh brought his knee up sharply and caught him in the ribs, right over the cut. He screamed and his grip slipped, giving the man time to flip them. His blade came plummeting down towards Josh’s throat and Josh barely caught the man’s hands. They wrestled with the blade for a while, rolling several times before the man’s sword was also thrown from his hands. 

Josh elbowed the man in the nose and rolled, trying to pull himself free and towards the sword lying a little out of arm's reach. Suddenly there was a stabbing pain in Josh’s abdomen and he screamed. It was so intense he blacked out for a moment. When he came back, it was to the pain of a small blade being twisted and pulled from his stomach. The leader, the man that had smiled at him as he ordered his men to kill them, stood up and smiled down at Josh before turning and picking up the sword from the dirt. 

Josh grabbed at the wound and put pressure on it, only to scream out again. The man was turning, and all Josh could think to do was yell. Please don’t let him die here, to this monster.

“Josh!” 

The shout came from somewhere to Josh’s left, or right. Josh couldn’t be sure, everything seemed to be getting blurry and dark. For a moment Josh laughed, with the thought that it was just Tyler’s fog, and that he had been having a bad dream, but then a blood curdling scream came from his left. He looked over to see Tyler running for him. Josh watched, yet again as if in slow motion as Tyler’s back started to seizure; the black tunic he wore ripped as Tyler’s wings burst from his shoulder blades with a pained scream from Tyler. And then something truly otherworldly happened. 

The stubby horns on Tyler’s head pushed out and sharpened, the wings encircled his whole body, and the fog pouring from Tyler’s mouth burst from his nose, the cut on his arm, even his eyes. Then the wings seemed to cocoon him in black, leathery, undulating skin and when they pulled back, it revealed a much different creature than what had been wrapped up.  
And it kept growing. 

The dragon was about the same size as a moose when it stopped growing. Black, scaly skin covered its whole body. There were black wisps trailing off it’s feet and clawed, dangerous looking hands. The wings were huge and leathery, the webbing torn slightly, and the horns were long and curved. Its tail was long, with a curved spike on the tip, and it sliced through a man that had been standing too close to it. Its eyes were blood red. Tyler’s eyes were blood red.

Tyler roared so loudly it shook through Josh and shot a lance of pain through his bleeding stomach. Tyler’s foot falls were shaking the earth itself– crows cawed in the distance as they were scared from their trees. There was blood everywhere. That's all Josh could see, his own blood. It soaked into his eyes, his vision was blurring. Josh looked up to see the ring leader’s eyes wide in fear. He had dropped the sword and was backing away quickly. Tyler leaped over Josh in one swift pounce, like a cat finally catching the mouse. 

Tyler’s black wings shrouded him in darkness, wrapping around him in protection, and as Josh slipped from consciousness, he felt thankful that the red had been replaced by a pure, breathable fog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW GUYS! This took for-ever.  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter tho, spread it around, tell your friends about it, make it the next Forest fic. Jk, but comments and kudos would be really appreciated. 
> 
> Btw, did you know that crows are known as an ominous omen of death? ;)


	5. A Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did you know that crows are also a sign of good luck?

Darkness.

A black fog clouded his mind and he wasn’t sure what was happening, he wasn’t even sure who he was, really. All he knew was that he could feel blood running down his back from the human laying unconscious on his scales, and that he was scared. He flew faster, trying to remember why he was in such a hurry to get to- to where?

A town. A town stretched out below him and he dove, hoping that someone there could help his- his friend? His friend, yes, that’s who he was carrying. His stomach churned with the fresh meat and he remembered the bandits, remembered the fight, remembered the blood. Josh. He was carrying Josh, and he- he was Tyler. As soon as Tyler landed he carefully pushed Josh from his back and cradled him in a wing. He let out a great roar and slowly walked into the narrow street of the town. Josh groaned in his wing and shifted slightly, Tyler quickened his pace. He was too panicked to transform back, and he just hoped that no one would attack them before they saw Josh’s body. 

Suddenly there was a sharp tingling sensation in his right wing and Tyler whipped his head around to see where the sensation had come from. His right wing was twitching uncontrollably and just beyond it, a woman stood. She was old, with grey hair pulled into a haphazard bun on her head. Her clothes were well kept, but you could tell they were old. She held out a staff, with the crystallized tip pointed at Tyler. It glowed softly. His wing started to shrivel and the sensation shot through his body, over to his other wing. With a gasp he dropped Josh, pain shooting through his spine. He realized what he’d done and turned back, fear wrapping around his throat as he looked for Josh, for where he’d landed. 

Something else wrapped around him and pulled him away from the crumpled body. His whole body was now shaking. Scales were powdering and falling off him like ashes. A bright light had him in its hold and was pulling him towards the old woman. Tyler knew her somehow, but his fear-ridden brain couldn’t quite pull up the memory. Instead he struggled relentlessly, trying to get back to Josh. Black fog flooded into the streets and open windows of the town and people poked their heads out before retreating quickly. 

Tyler let out a roar that ended on a broken croak as his throat started to shorten. His desperate roar became a cry for help as he was brought closer to the woman who’s eyes now glowed. Tyler felt his claws and sharp teeth retracting, something he’d never been able to accomplish on his own. A moment later he was face to face with the old woman.

“Why have you come. And with a meal uneaten?” She only glanced to Josh for a moment who wasn’t moving in the field behind them.

“P-please,” Tyler’s voice cracked as he struggled in the glowing light, “Save him!”

“What,” the woman looked confused for a moment, glancing between the two again before pausing on Tyler’s face. Then she asked, “Do I know you?”

Tyler spluttered, “W-what? No- I don’t know, I’ve never been here!” 

The woman stilled and then her eyes dimmed slightly, “I do know you. You are that young boy with the ball. I put a spell on you years ago for smashing my window. Hmm, looks like you came back to get revenge on me, or perhaps destroy the town with your smothering smoke.”

Tyler gasped and a few wisps of fog escaped his throat. They were quickly whipped away by a strand of the glowing light. He remembered now: they were in his home town. They’d been looking for a cure for the curse this witch had placed on him. They’d been attacked, and Josh- Josh had-

Tyler squeezed his eyes closed, tight, shaking his head, “Please I need your help- he needs your help,” Tyler’s restricted arms slapped against his bare sides, trying to gesture over to Josh, “He was hurt by some bandits outside town. They wanted to kill me, and he protected me! Please, please save him.”

The witch hummed softly and cocked her head to the side thoughtfully, “I can help your friend,” her eyes locked on his with laser focus, “or I could break your curse. But not both.”

Tyler spluttered for a moment, “B-but- w-what! You can’t do that! You can’t make me choose something like that!” 

She smiled, “I can, and I did.” 

Tyler struggled for a few futile seconds before going limp again. He looked back to Josh, laying in the grass. Josh’s hair had been fading from it’s fiery red and had started to turn a light shade of pink. Tyler looked at the pink locks, sticky and slick with blood. His heart sunk in his chest at how pale Josh was. He felt like he was watching the world end, and he couldn’t stop it. Only he could…

“Save him.”

The witch smiled wide and unnerving, “Of course.” she snapped her fingers and Tyler was instantly out.

\- - - 

A sweet melody floated through Josh’s head and made him feel blissfully light, like the notes were carrying him deeper into the darkness he lay in. He felt so light, like nothing mattered in the world. He could feel a dull ache in his stomach, like someone had punched him. There was a distant memory of something, no, someone calling his name, but it got twisted up in a roar that shook the dark peace in Josh’s head. Josh tried to push the noise away and find the voice, cling to it, listen to the sweet tones. 

The melody started to shake and shimmer, creating ripples in Josh’s dark place and he shivered. The song turned sad– stuttered. He didn’t like it anymore and he wanted it to stop, he wanted to stop it, to get out of the dark and help whatever it was that had turned sad. 

He looked around, trying to find the exit, an escape route, a seam he could peel back and slip through. Now the darkness was growing heavy on his eyes and he closed them. It made no difference. The singing was getting even choppier and there was a pain in his chest that was growing. Josh started running, yelling, calling for someone to get him out. And then he hit something. It was hard and he fell back as soon as he made contact.

Slowly he got up and approached the thing in the dark. He kicked it and a small crack appeared. Josh smiled and kicked it again. The singing was getting quieter, but that didn’t make Josh feel any better. If anything, it set him more on edge. He kicked the thing again and again until a sizeable hole was made and then he knelt down. But before he could even stick a hand through, a breeze blew along his back. He turned to see what had caused the pleasant feeling and was met with a blinding bright red. Josh screamed and moved on instinct, falling back through the hole just as a tendril of the red shot for Josh. 

\- - - 

Tyler took a shaky breath and the song died on his tongue. His head rested on the bed between his arms, hands holding one of Josh’s unmoving ones. He took a few steadying breaths. He couldn’t break down like this. He couldn’t loose Josh either. He felt another wave of anger at the witch. She’d said he was harder to heal because, “he’s lost so much blood.” As if! She’d turned him into a shapeshifting dragon, she could replace a bit of blood!

A small sigh brought Tyler’s head up quickly and he stared at Josh for any signs of life. Then he saw it, the roll of Josh’s eyes under the lids. Tyler sat up straighter and squeezed Josh’s shoulder, shaking him ever so slightly. After a few groans, Josh’s eyes slid open. They took a while to focus, but when they did, they landed on Tyler’s eyes.

“Tyler?” Josh’s small but present voice brought a flood of relief crashing into Tyler, and he sagged over Josh’s chest, hugging him tight.

“Oh thank the Gods, you’re awake.” Tyler leaned back and grabbed Josh’s face, staring intently into his eyes, making sure his pupils weren’t dilated too much and he was focusing properly. 

“Yes, Gods, I’m fine- I’m fine- I” Josh squirmed under Tyler’s scrutiny, “Tyler?”

Tyler finally sat back, slightly, “Yes? Do you need something? Water?”

“No no, I just… Where are we, what happened?” Josh’s eyes roamed blearily around the room, taking in his surroundings. 

“The leader of those bandits stabbed you- Josh you were really hurt… You almost- I got you into town and Ms. Bizakodó healed you.”

“Ms. Biz- what? Who?” Josh rubbed at his eyes and fell back onto his pillow, head reeling from the idea that he had almost died.

“Ms. Bizakodó, she was the witch who cursed me, she healed you and-“ But Tyler was cut off when Josh sat up quickly and looked Tyler over. Tyler froze. Josh’s eyes trailed over Tylers hornless head, his scaleless skin and landed on his mouth, where he could see a normal set of teeth. 

“Witch… The witch?! But the fog…” Josh started to shake, hands balling into fists around his covers as his eyes took in the darkness of the room, the fog still curling from Tyler’s mouth. 

Tyler looked away.

“N-no… No,” Josh lunged forward and caught Tyler’s hands in his, “Tyler you said- she was supposed to-“ 

“She gave me a choice Josh, save you or save myself.”

“Well you should have helped yourself first!” 

“How can you say that!?” Tyler stood and the fog grew heavier in the room, “Josh I’d never let you die!”

“Well you should have!” The sentence hung heavy in the fog filled room and a moment later josh as on his feet. He still had on his scuffed brown pants, but his tunic and chainmail had been removed. He glanced down at his stomach, expecting a bloody hole, or at least bloody bandages barely able to cover a gruesome stab wound. What he saw instead was a faint scar. It was the light pink of freshly healed skin and Josh’s stomach churned with the idea that he came out of this with a small scrape, and Tyler was still stuck with the horrible curse. 

“You should have…” Josh’s shoulders slumped and he shook slightly, trying to hold back tears. Then he straightened and glared at Tyler, “There has to be another way. I can go to the witch, make her change you back!” 

“Josh don’t, she’ll kill you! And besides… She told me when you were still out; she casts spells, but she can’t break them…”

Josh snorted, “What a useless power! You’re telling me she screwed you over and she can’t, no, she won’t turn you back?!”

Tyler sighed, “She can’t Josh… but she did tell me that something else might work…”

“Great what is it?” Josh looked around the room, as if Tyler had the antidote sitting in a corner, waiting to be revealed. 

“True love’s kiss?” Tyler said it as if it was a question.

Josh’s eyes flicked back to Tyler and locked with his. He studied him for a moment before scoffing, “Oh come on, thats a fairy tale!”

“Dragons were once a fairy tale, along with magic.” Tyler shot back, squaring his shoulders and staring Josh down.

Josh sighed and nodded, “Alright,” Josh walked forward and cupped a hand around the back of Tyler’s neck, “What was that pretty girls name again? You talked about her before when we were coming here. Let’s go see if she still lives here.” And then he let go and walked around Tyler. He headed for the door but stopped momentarily when he spotted a freshly washed tunic sitting on an old wooden chair.

“This for me?”

Tyler glanced over his shoulder, from where he seemed to be frozen, he sighed, “Yes, Ms. Bizakodó bought it in town for you.”

Josh looked at it for a few moments before shrugging and pulling it on over his head.

\- - - 

It took about fifteen minutes to find Jenna’s home. Tyler had described Jenna, her beautiful blonde hair and stunning blue eyes, and the Saturday afternoons they’d spent together playing and exploring town. When they got to the front of the house Tyler paused.

“Could you knock? If her parents open the door, I don’t want them to recognize me, they could tell my parents and I’m not… I’m not ready to see them yet.”

Josh nodded and stepped up on the front stoop, knocked hard on the door and waited. An older woman opened the door. Blonde hair and blue eyes led Josh to the conclusion that this must be Jenna’s mother. She smiled and cocked her hair to the side, “Can I help you?” Her eyes trailed over his strangely coloured hair and she shifted slightly.

“Yes, I’m sorry to bother you but I’ve come to see Jenna! Is she still here? We were friends as children and I’ve been traveling the lands for years. I decided to come back and visit my family and thought I’d stop by.” Josh lied smoothly and smiled charmingly at Jenna’s mother. 

She studied him for a few moments before nodding and smiling, “Ah yes, I think I seem to remember a little boy like you. Well, Jenna lives on the upper east side of the town now with her fiancé. Hio street, third house down, with the little rose bushes.”

“Fiancé?”

“Oh yes, she’s been engaged now for a few months.”

“Ah well, thank you again!” Josh quickly stepped down off the stoop and walked down the path to where Tyler was hiding behind some bushes.

“She’s married…” Tyler sighed.

“Getting married! We can still try!” 

Tyler groaned but followed Josh down the small winding path that led through streets full of houses. There were people out; walking with their families, children playing in the dirt, and as they passed, Tyler’s fog crept into the streets. Babies started to cry and children became more violent as they played, getting angry and having tantrums. 

Josh looked around at the slowly brewing chaos and quickly grabbed Tyler’s hand, “Tyler relax, happy thoughts! This is going to work, I promise.”

Tyler breathed in heavily but didn’t let go of Josh’s hand. He started breathing at a calming pace, and very slowly, the fog started to dissipate. Josh smiled and walked a bit quicker.

They finally made it to Hio street and turned down it. When they reached the cute little house with the rose bushes growing wild in the front garden, Tyler started shaking again, fog coming thick. 

“I can’t do this.” he stated, plainly.

Josh shook his head, “Yes, you can. I’ll go up first! I’ll talk to her, introduce you, then you can come up. You’ll have your tearful reunion. Sure she’s getting married, but you two were in love once, right? I’m sure she’s help you out!” 

Tyler shook his head but followed Josh as he walked up the steps. He stayed behind Josh and tried to get the fog under control. Josh knocked twice and waited. A beautiful woman opened the door. Blonde wavy hair was cut short into a sort of bob, and her blue eyes were piercing. 

“Hello?”

“Um, hello…” Josh stuttered as he looked at her, “I know you don’t know me, but I know one of your friends and he needs your help.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Jenna paused, looking Josh over worriedly.

“Tyler?” Josh called and Tyler stepped shakily around Josh, standing in front of Jenna with a small awkward smile. Josh’s stomach tightened. 

“T-Tyler?” Jenna squinted and then stepped down off the stoop, coming closer to Tyler and looking at his face, “Is that really you?”

Tyler shifted nervously, “I’m back!”

Tears sprang into Jenna’s eyes and she came forward, wrapping her arms around Tyler’s neck and hugging him tightly, “Oh Tyler… W-what ever happened? Where did you go?”

Tyler hugged her back slowly and laughed slightly, “It’s a long story…”

Jenna stood back and glanced between the two men, “come in, we can talk. Oh Tyler, we have so much catching up to do!” 

Tyler laughed and smiled, letting the shorter woman drag him inside. Josh followed, slowly. 

\- - - 

They met Jenna’s fiancé, a nice man who she had met while he was working as a blacksmith with Jenna’s father. He gave them room to catch up in the back garden. 

After retelling the most important bits of the story to Jenna, she had asked, like any normal person would, to prove it. Tyler had recalled his scales and eyes from wherever the witch had stashed them, deep down in the spell. It had taken Jenna a few moments to take it all in but then she nodded, “Alright,” she had said, sitting forward seriously, “I’ll help.”

Josh sat back on an old chair in the garden and looked on as Tyler and Jenna talked quietly. He watched the way Tyler’s smile grew tender when Jenna laughed, and the way he wiped a tear from Jenna’s eye when he told her of true love’s kiss being the breaker of the spell. Finally Josh saw Jenna nod and he looked away. He didn’t want to watch, and he wasn’t sure why. Something in his stomach squeezed tight at the thought of Tyler kissing Jenna; perhaps it was because it felt wrong because she had a fiancé. Josh sighed. That must be it. He hoped this didn’t affect Jenna’s marriage: they seemed like a perfect fit. 

A few seconds of silence went by and Josh finally took a peek. Tyler and Jenna were standing close. Tyler had his hands on her shoulders and Jenna’s hands were balled into fists at her sides. They were looking at each other and Jenna seemed annoyed. Josh stood and made his way over slowly. As he did, Jenna grabbed Tyler’s face and kissed him again, and again, peppering his face and lips with kisses. But nothing was happening. Josh’s heart sunk. 

Jenna went to kiss him again, but Tyler stopped her, “It’s okay Jenna, thank you for trying.” Jenna’s eyes were filling with tears and she nodded, looking down. 

“I’m so sorry Tyler,” she whispered. He hugged her and then let her go, standing back a bit, “Will you come again? You are always welcome Ty…”

Tyler smiled and nodded, “Of course I will, you’ll always be my dearest friend, Jenna.” Jenna smiled and hugged Tyler again. He hugged her back and smiled, but Josh could see it didn’t reach his eyes. 

Ten minutes later, after accepting come tea from Jenna, they left. With no where to go, Tyler guided Josh off onto the other side of town, where the edge of the woods wrapped back around. He took Josh a little ways into the woods to a small clearing with one large, old oak. In the trunk, Josh saw the letters J+T carved into the wood. He reached out and ran his fingers over the engraving as Tyler scrambled up and settled in between a strong bough and the trunk. He reached his hand down and Josh grabbed it, letting Tyler pull him up one handed. Josh got situated and then sat back and looked at Tyler. Tyler sat on his side of the tree, back pressed against the branch, an arm thrown over his face to hide his eyes. Josh knew he’d see tears if he brought back his arm, but he didn’t say anything. 

They sat silent in the trees. Not moving or saying a word. They’d come this far only to come up with nothing and they both felt the crush of failure. Josh looked over to Tyler who was still laying against the branch. His arm had fallen to hang over the edge now and his eyes were dry but red rimmed. His eyes were unfocused and blurry and the fog pouring from his mouth clouded everything around them. Josh suddenly had a very odd moment. It felt like his spirit had flown from his body and was looking at the two of them from the outside. 

Josh was an infamous dragon slayer from a small town to the west. He’d been brought up by a creature-hating father, had been taught to kill the creatures in the night and to defend himself. He’d been cast out, however, for killing and had traveled alone for years. Then one day, on a routine hunt, he’s met a creature named Tyler.  

Josh brought his hand up to touch his neck, where the small scars from Tyler’s claws been. They weren’t there. The witch’s power must have healed them completely. Josh remembered the hopeful look on Tyler’s face when Josh had offered to help change him back. He remembered the first night in the woods, when he’d woken completely dry. Josh sat up on the branch. 

He remembered trading stories by the fire, singing old songs with Tyler to pass the time. He remembered the feeling Tyler’s laugh gave him in his stomach. Josh leaned forward and got up, slowly making his way across the branches. He remembered how happy Tyler had been when the smoke had cleared for the first time in years. Josh came to Tyler’s branch and sat, legs dangling over the edge. Tyler looked over at him and sat up, cocking his head to the side like a bird might. 

Josh’s hands were shaking now as they reached out, slowly coming to rest on Tyler’s shoulders, pulling him a bit closer. 

“Josh?” Tyler’s eyes roamed over Josh’s face as he leaned in. Josh didn’t respond. 

Their lips met tentatively, nervous excitement mixed in the air around them. Tyler leaned in a bit, hands coming up to rest on Josh’s chest. Josh’s eyes had closed but they flew open again when wind started to whip around them. Tyler sat back with a gasp and then black fog exploded from his mouth. Josh yelped and dodged quickly. The movement was too quick however and he tipped, his whole body titled, and he fell. Tyler leapt right after him and caught him, shielding his head before it hit the ground. Josh rolled off of Tyler and kneeled shakily at Tyler’s side.

“Tyler?” 

Tyler choked and coughed and another lung full of black fog came up, “You’ve got to stop falling from high places…” He wheezed and then rolled over. Black fog was now pouring from his mouth and it was getting thicker and thicker around them. Josh fell back and watched as Tyler was engulfed in the fog. Soon, Josh noticed the fog change; it became thicker and heavier and smelled of smoke. 

Josh jumped up and waded his way through the smoke, coughing and choking on the burning air until he found Tyler in the midst of it. As soon as Josh’s hand landed on Tyler’s shoulder, Tyler’s head snapped up and now Josh could see Tyler’s eyes. They were blood red and they seemed to be emanating a sort of heat. Tyler opened his mouth tried to say something, but when no words came he simply pushed Josh out of the cloud of smoke surrounding him. As Josh tumbled through the blackness, he saw a glimpse of Tyler’s face change. The bones themselves shifted under the skin and Tyler let out a pained roar. 

Josh rolled onto the grass outside the vortex of smoke, coughing and spluttering. He watched in horror as from the smoke, Tyler in his dragon form emerged, huge and black, his long neck craned around as if looking for something. And as Tyler’s eyes met Josh’s, they burst into flames and engulfed his whole body. 

Josh screamed, scrambled to his feet and ran forward, only to be buffeted backwards with one sharp flap of Tyler’s large scaly wings. Josh was forced to watch as Tyler’s body burned. Tyler’s roars stopped at some point but Josh still couldn’t look away. Finally, the huge form disappeared inside the whirling smoke, and as if it was steam being blown off the top of a cup of tea, the smoke was swept away. 

Lying in the scorched earth was Tyler.

“Tyler,” Josh whispered, and then he shook his head and jumped to his feet, “Tyler!”

Josh collapsed beside Tyler and held his head in his lap. Tyler’s body was void of any burns at all, apart from his hair, which had been burned almost completely away. Josh let out a shaky breath and shook Tyler slightly. 

“Tyler, hey,” Tyler’s eyes fluttered open slowly and focused on Josh’s face above him.

“Josh, your hair looks just like a sunset. It’s beautiful.”

Josh sat back with a breathy laugh, “Oh thank the Gods,” then he laughed harder, “Thank you, Tyler.” He wrapped his arms around Tyler’s back and brought him into a tight hug, still laughing slightly, “I love you!” 

Tyler tensed, “Ow.” Josh let him go slightly and helped him up. A soon as Tyler was on his feet he smiled at Josh, “Love you too.”

Josh smiled and Tyler quickly went to grab Josh around the back and under the legs, but after a moment of struggling he gave up.

“Ugh, I feel so week, why are you so heavy?”

Josh laughed breathlessly, “A human’s strength probably doesn’t match a dragon’s.” 

Tyler’s pout shifted into a toothy smile and then he laughed loud and hard. His wheezy chuckles made butterflies bubble up in Josh’s stomach and he tackled Tyler in a hug. He peppered Tyler’s face with kisses and Tyler laughed harder. Josh felt so light at that very moment, years of stress just melted away and he found himself lying with Tyler in the cool grass, hands clasped together and eyes to the sky. Two crows flew overhead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well dudes, this story has now come to an end! I've received a lot of support from my friends on Instagram and I'm so happy that people have actually enjoyed this mess. There is a small follow up chapter after this one, but this is the official ending! 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed!! Kudos and comments make me so happy you have no idea! 
> 
> You can find me on my instagram: olive.cave (I have fan art and art for it on there if you're interested.)


	6. The End

Tyler reuniting with his family was tearful and full of hugs and long conversations. His parents told him that he never should have left, and that they would have loved him, no matter what he was. Josh had been introduced and that was a bit of a longer story, but eventually they all sat together in the den of Tyler’s childhood home. Josh sat in a chair next to Tyler’s father who was talking to him about his travels. His father kept glancing back to Tyler ever so often and smiling. Tyler was sitting with his mother on a large bench seat, head on her shoulder as she sang quietly for only him to hear. Later that night, they all sang together and Josh even accompanied them on an old metal bucket Tyler’s father had brought him. At the end of the day, they were given the spare room down the hall from Tyler’s sisters room, and they settled in for the night. 

Josh sat in the middle of the bed, watching as Tyler pulled off his tunic and sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. 

“This feels weird…” Tyler stated, still not looking at Josh. 

Josh sat back, “What? Sleeping in the same bed as me, or not transforming at night?”

Tyler huffed and smiled lopsidedly at Josh over his shoulder, “Both I guess?” He scooted farther into the bed and sat up against the head board beside Josh.

They sat in silence for a few moments, just staring at each other, taking in the realization that they weren’t sleeping on the ground in the middle of a field somewhere. 

Then Tyler cleared his throat, “Are you going to leave?” 

Josh thought for a moment. Having somewhere to sleep for once was nice, but the idea of staying in the town made something in Josh’s skin itch. He’d lived too long on the road, he wasn’t accustom to living in a family setting, especially not settled in one spot. He sighed. 

“Yes.” 

Tyler nodded, “Ok, well I’m coming with you.”

Josh’s eyes flicked up fast, “What? No, Tyler you just got your family back, you can’t just wander into the woods again! Not because of me!”

“Josh I can’t stay here! I love my family, and I’ll always come back, but after all these years, sitting here now, it feels weird to be settled in one spot. You know?” 

Josh laughed at Tyler’s knowing words. How had he known exactly what he’d been thinking? “But, but what about Jenna and your old friends! Your parents are going to be devastated!” 

“They’ve lived without me for years, they can deal with knowing that I’m alive and well and out there doing something… Something good.”

Josh sighed, head bowed. Minutes passed and then he felt the bed dip as Tyler leaned over, “It’s not your choice, but I’d like you to want me to come with you…” 

Josh’s frown cracked and he shook his head, “Of course I want you to come…”

Tyler smiled and kissed Josh chastely, before pulling him down onto the plush covering of the bed. Tyler’s head rested on Josh’s chest, and he could feel his slow breathing. They lay there in the quiet, until a soft melody carried through Josh’s head and he drifted to sleep listening to the hypnotizing timbre of Tyler’s voice. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day!


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